Making decisions in the lab about what crop traits to improve over others, already assumes that one trait is more desirable than another. Increasingly, involving communities is essential for researchers to ensure that improvements to crop varieties are demand-driven by farmers.

Jars of cactus pear jam produced in Ethiopia thanks to a partnership between FAO and Italian food store Eataly have reached the shelves of the  store  in Rome. FAO and Eataly supported the women's cooperative from Ethiopia's Tigray region in producing over 1,500 kg of cactus pear jam that are fully in line with both Ethiopian and European food safety standards.

Nitrogen is an important element for plant growth and abundant in the atmosphere, but is often absent in heavily farmed land. Scientists have looked for ways to safely and sustainably transfer nitrogen into the soil, and found that nitrogen-eating bacteria may be the answer.

A new breed of agricultural extension and development officers recently completed a 5-month capacity-building course called "Enabling the AgRiDOC: a new breed of rice extensionists" and are now ready to serve rice-based farming communities in the country.

ISAAA's Network of Biotechnology Information Centers (BICs) held its 15^th Annual Meeting at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 15-16, 2015. The meeting brought together 29 member representatives from 10 countries in Burkina Faso, East and Central Africa, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Uganda.

IRRI scientists are constantly looking for ways to reduce the environmental footprint of rice production,” says Brechje Maréchal, an IRRI researcher and volunteer working behind the Sustainability@IRRI campaign. “Researchers encourage farmers around the world to farm more sustainably by using less fertilizer, water, and pesticides. Individuals in the IRRI community should do their part too.

Post a photo, raise awareness on the importance of soils, win a prize! 

This year, soils are at the centre of global attention. As part of the International Year of Soils, we are turning to you to help FAO highlight the importance of sustainable soil management.

Canada's Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced upcoming changes to streamline and modernize the way crop varieties are registered in Canada. The Government of Canada worked closely with the crop production value chain to ensure that the country's Variety Registration (VR)

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) has launched an e-farming system for the first time in Pakistan. The e-farming system is aimed to train the farmers and assist them in attaining maximum yield and profits by using modern agricultural biotechnology applications. Dr. Rashid Ahmed, leader of the project, said that through e-farming, yields can be enhanced to 40 maunds per acre (1,493 kilograms per acre).

Modern, machine-friendly agriculture is dominated by monocultures. One single cultivar -- one genotype of a crop species -- is cultivated on large areas. Favored cultivars are optimized for high yields and often contain only few natural plant defense compounds. Unfortunately, these extensive monocultures of identical plants can become an ecological wasteland and cause permanent damage to the ecosystem, especially when combined with blanket application of fertilizer and pesticides.